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Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26, plead not guilty in court Monday to charges that he killed 10-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother in October. According to police, the 26-year-old intended to kidnap and hold the child for ransom in order to extort money from the Venna family. NBC10's Deanna Durante reports. (Published Friday, Mar 15, 2013)

NBC10's Deanna Durante was at the Montgomery County Courthouse this morning when Raghunandan Yandamuri pleaded not guilty to the murder of 10-month-old Saanvi Venni and her 61-year-old grandmother Satyavathi Venna.

Police say Yandamuri hatched a plan to extort money from the Venna family to eliminate overwhelming gambling debt by holding their daughter Saanvi for ransom. The plan, they say, went horribly wrong when on the morning of October 22, Yandamuri found Satyavathi in the family's apartment in the Marquis complex. She was visiting from India.

The elder Venna was babysitting her granddaughter and fought hard to protect the child, police say.

Grandmother Murdered, Baby Abducted in Upper Merion Twp

Police say Satayvathi Venna, 61, was caring for her 10-month-old granddaughter when she was murdered and the baby kidnapped. Now, police are making the search for Saanvi Venna their top priority. (Published Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012)

Yandamuri then stabbed the grandmother and kidnapped the baby, according to investigators.

Four days later, baby Venna's body was found in the basement of the apartment complex with a ransom note from the suspect demanding $50,000.

Friend of Family Arrested for Murder of Missing Baby

Police missing 10-month-old Saanvi Venna was found dead on Friday. Her body was hidden in a basement bathroom at the family's apartment complex, the Marquis Apartments, on the 200 block of West Dekalb Pike. Raghunandan Yandamuri is in police custody for the murder. NBC10's Deanna Durante spoke to stunned family members. (Published Friday, Oct 26, 2012)